Archers Poison
by CHLOMOE
Summary: Legolas suffers... then kicks ass... then suffers some more...XD


Disclaimer: I own nothing all the characters and locations belong to the Tolkien estate. If I owned LOTR I would not be sitting here writing Fan Fiction. I would be in the Bahamas somewhere having the time of my life.

Legolas staggered, nearly four days of no rest and little food in this jagged landscape had left him weary and his bones aching. Gimli toiled ahead of him and Aragorn brought up the rear. Legolas's pace slowed, he stopped and feeling a hand on his shoulder turned. Aragorn was behind him, his eyes dark with concerned.  
>"Legolas?" The ranger's voice was coarse and gravely with fatigue. "Can you continue?"<br>Aragorn's eyes strayed to Legolas's left shoulder, around which a ragged bandage was tied.  
>Many days ago they had had a run in with some Orcs. That's why they were on this stupid rescue in the first place. Merry and Pippin had been taken and Legolas had been injured; an Orc's arrow had pierced almost to the bone. Blood flowed freely since, till the bandage was red. Legolas closed his eyes trying to ignore the incredible pain in his arm that had only increased over the last few days.<br>"We could stop for a time?" Aragorn suggested.  
>"No! We are less than a day behind the Orcs. We have to find our company and free them!" After several moments of deep calming breaths Legolas began to walk. "We must keep going."<br>Gimli was waiting for them several meters ahead, silhouetted against the slowly setting sun. His short figure was black against the coloured sky. He sighed sadly when he saw they were to keep going.

Darkness had descended long ago. Turning the barren expanse of hills to a screen of blue and black. The stars were pinpricks on his vision; Legolas felt his knees give way. He collided with the cold ground. Aragorn knelt beside him.  
>"Legolas, old friend. We will stop and rest."<br>Legolas tried to protest, how could he rest while their friends were held captive? The thought of Merry and Pippin held at the hands of the Orcs or in the festering grip of the Uruk hai made his blood burn with a terrible anger, but he was so tired. He waited for his breathing to slow and the wave of pain to subside. The pain intensified. For a long time he stayed there on his knees, where he had fallen. The pain in his arm had been a constant for this whole trip. Until now Legolas had been able to ignore it, using his anger to block it out. Now his fatigue had quelled his anger. Leaving only the pain.  
>Aragorn rose and called to Gimli: "We must rest, even if we were to catch the Uruk hai it would be futile if we could not fight!"<br>Gimli sank gratefully to the ground, and pulled out some food. Aragorn approached him and whispered. "I fear for Legolas. His injury was not that great yet it pains him even now. Is it possible there was something on the Orc's arrow? A venom of some kind?"  
>"I would not put it passed them, these are the odious slaves of Sauron we discuss." Gimli scowled with deep hatred as he spoke. Aragorn stared daggers at their supplies for one long minute before abruptly rising, food in hand. He knelt again beside Legolas.<br>"Here. There is little point in resting if you don't eat as well." Legolas didn't move. "Come now, Legolas you must eat!"  
>A small strained smile descended Legolas's face. "I know Aragorn. And I will eat. Just let me rest first. I cannot eat while my pain is this great. In an hour or so when I have slept some I will eat." With that he curled up and moved little more for some time. <p>

_Legolas moved slowly through the forest. Tall trees stood all around him, their trunks black and leaves grey. Little light breached the canopy and that which did was strangely orange. The calls and shouts of his comrades echoed eerily through the strange trees. Aragorn was nearby…fighting; he could hear hobbits screaming and Borormir's sward clashing. He heard the unmistakable thud of an axe. He should be helping them! Legolas set off at a run but although his friends sounded near he never saw them. Legolas's sharp eyes did, however, detected shadows moving through the forest converging on him. An Orc stepped out of the trees. Legolas raised his bow and felt for his quiver, it was empty. The Orc growled bearing it blackened teeth. It slowly raised its own bow. Its eyes burnt with hatred. It grinned. Legolas tried to run but the trees were to close together. He spun to face the Orc. Its arrow made a strange noise as it flew through the air. There was the thud of metal on flesh as the arrow struck home. Legolas screamed and fell to the ground.  
>"Legolas!" Aragorn's voice called. "Legolas!" What if he needed help?<br>Through his fear he herd the Orc laughing at him, a terrible cackle that sent shivers through his spine.  
>"Legolas! Can you hear me?" it was Aragorn again.<br>_

Legolas's eyes flew open. He was lying on the cold ground, shaking. Aragorn was leaning over him.  
>"Legolas?"<br>"Aragorn!" Legolas tried to sit up.  
>"Easy now." Said Aragorn gently pushing him back to the ground.<br>Legolas looked around; he was in hills not a forest.  
>"Here." Said Gimli gruffly handing out some food. Gimli was impatient to be off, the first of the sun's rays were poking their heads through the clouds.<br>"It's light! How long was I asleep?"  
>Aragorn hesitated. "A few hours… we couldn't wake you."<br>Legolas hung his head. "I'm sorry. Now we have wasted precious daylight."  
>Aragorn sighed. Why did he blame himself? "Do not blame yourself, we all needed rest."<br>Legolas didn't reply he just stood and started walking. Aragorn and Gimli traded looks.

Their progress over the day was staggered and slow. Legolas was determined not to complain. He would never tell his comrades that his pain had been growing slowly over the whole day.  
>Legolas gasped when white hot pain seared through him. He grabbed Aragorn's shoulder for support. Aragorn spun around and grabbed the elf as he sunk to the ground.<br>"Legolas?"  
>"It's nothing. I'm fine…" Legolas cast around for something to distract him. There was little nearby save Boulders and sand.<br>"What is that?" Legolas exclaimed. He pointed to what looked, to Gimli like a pile of boulders.  
>"A pile of boulders?" the dwarf muttered.<br>"No… I don't think it is." Legolas whispered and picked up pace.  
>As they neared Aragorn and Gimli saw what Legolas's Elvin eyes had seen first. Corpse of several Orcs had been left to burn in a pile.<br>"Orcs!" Gimli reached into the pile of burning carcasses and pulled a small charred belt. "It is one of the hobbit's wee belts." He muttered holding it aloft.  
>Legolas sunk to the ground, the pain was too much. Now his sadness combined with the physical pain leaving him feeling empty. Aragorn screamed and kicked a blackened helmet, sending it whizzing past Legolas's ear, and fell to the ground. As Aragorn knelt he noticed something in the ground.<br>"A hobbit lay here." He said pointing. He pointed further along the scared earth, "And here the other."  
>Legolas looked around, did he dare hope, did any of them dare hope?<br>"Their hands were bound. They crawled… their… bonds were cut!" Aragorn exclaimed pulling a length of severed rope from the long grass. Aragorn jumped to his feet and began to follow the signs. "The tracks lead away from the fight!" He froze; there was a crack nearby, like a twig snapping. As fast as Legolas's injured body would allow he spun and, cringing, raised his bow. An Orc stepped out of the trees of Fanghorn grinning madly. Aragorn un-sheathed his sword and Gimli grabbed his axe. As one the two ran at the Orc. It ducked and dived, avoiding every expert blow either man made. Legolas drew back an arrow. The pain was enough to make him scream, and he may have he didn't know, but he pushed through the red fever and took carful aim.  
>Hearing Legolas's scream Aragorn turned and jumped out of the way as Legolas let the arrow lose. It entered the Orcs chest, a perfect shot. Legolas fell, unconscious, upon the rocks. Aragorn ran to his side.<br>"Legolas?" he shouted dropping to his knees beside him. "Legolas?" The elf didn't respond but Aragorn could see his breathing. Aragorn hurriedly pulled Legolas's restricting cloak from his neck and opened his shirt. This revealed the bandaged wound. He pulled aside the nearly useless bandage, exposing the still bleeding arrow wound.  
>"Why is he still bleeding? This wound is four days old at least! It should have ceased the day he was injured!" Aragorn forced himself to inspect the wound more closely. The edges were blackened with dry blood and, "Poison!" He gasped. He pushed past Gimli and grabbed his bag. Hurriedly he fumbled through his things and pulled out a small bottle. "This will keep him alive…" his voice faltered, he couldn't think about this not working, "Until I can find an antidote…" He gently lifted Legolas's head and poured a few drops of the bright green liquid into his mouth. Aragorn and Gimli waited for several tense seconds barely daring to breath. Legolas's eyelids fluttered and opened, his eyes were slightly fogged.<br>"Aragorn!" he screamed.  
>"I'm here."<br>Legolas was incredibly pale. He felt a strange tingling running through his body. "What is this? What happened?"  
>Aragorn sighed and pulled a fresher bandage from their supplies. "We believe the Orcs arrow was laced with poisoned…"<br>Legolas slumped back; "Poison?" his voice that of defeat. "I suspected but I reminded myself of our enemy and cast it from my mind!"  
>"Don't fear. I'll… find an antidote…" Aragorn strapped the bandage around the wound. He was angry at himself, why hadn't he seen it earlier? Several possible poisons were spinning around his mind each as unlikely as the last. "Rest." He said glancing at Gimli, who hadn't said a word since the Orc first stepped out of Fanghorn.<br>But Legolas shook his head. "Food…?" he muttered.  
>"Gimli get the food!" Aragorn hadn't meant to snap but this worried him… Orcs didn't usually dab their arrows in poison…<p>

While Legolas slept Aragorn and Gimli ate. Aragorn stared at the ground. He hadn't eaten much. He muttered under his breath as he thought. "No… Vashkin Venom!" he yelled and jumped to his feet.  
>"What?" Gimli looked up from his food.<br>Aragorn kicked angrily and the sand. "The Vashkin venom. Vashkins are the only living things to walk through Mordor except the slaves of Sauron."  
>"Do you know the cure?"<br>Aragorn thought for a while, staring at a flock of birds that flew low over the mountains in the distance. "Yes, I think I do…" He ran to where they had abandoned their packs and began rummaging through them, muttering ingredients under his breath. Gimli could to nothing to help so he settled himself down beside Legolas and caught up on some sleep. 

Several hours passed, Aragorn worked relentlessly. Finally he came over to where his to friends rested. Sleep had not come easily to Gimli he was to worried about everything. Legolas was dying, Merry and Pippin had been forced into Fanghorn Forest, and Frodo and Sam were… he didn't know where but every day they drew closer to Mordor…  
>Legolas's condition had far from improved he was now running a fever and his face had lost most of its colour.<br>Aragorn stooped beside him. "Here, Legolas." He gently lifted Legolas's head and Legolas groggily opened red rimmed eyes. He tried to speak but Aragorn shook his head. "Drink this it will help counteract the venom." Aragorn tried to keep the thought of this failing out of his mind as Legolas drank. He knew not to expect results immediately, so he was not as surprised as Gimli when Legolas's head fell back to the ground.  
>"I thought you said you had a cure!"<br>Aragorn smiled slightly to himself before turning. "Be patient Gimli. You cannot expect an instant recovery. He must rest and recover his strength. We all must rest." 

If you had looked at the scene from above you would see three sleeping figures lying in an expanse of hills at the edge of a forest. The world was turned pink and yellow from the rising sun. The light woke Aragorn. Gimli was still in a deep slumber though it did not look as though he slept peacefully. Aragorn looked over to where Legolas slept. A grin broke out over his face making him look ten years younger. Legolas was sitting up. He still looked weak, with deep shadows under his eyes and pale skin. His eyes however had regained most of their former spark.  
>"You're awake." Said Aragorn<br>Legolas smiled wearily. "Yes and I have you to thank for it."  
>Aragorn shook his head and looked as though he was about to speak. Legolas cut him off.<br>"Aragorn. Your skills and quick thinking have got us out of more than one rough patch. I am eternally grateful. You saved my life. Thank you."  
>"I did only what I needed to help a friend, but you are welcome. I only wish something could be done to speed the healing process."<br>Legolas sighed and shook his head. "I will heal soon enough." After a short pause he continued. "But what of you?"  
>Aragorn stared at him, confused.<br>"You are not injured physically it is true, but every day I see it. You walk like a man with the weight of the world on your shoulders. You are brave Aragorn and wise but you need to realise that not everything rests on you. You are not alone. There are people who care for you and people who will help you if only you would ask."  
>Aragorn stared into the twisted trunks of Fanghorn. Several minutes passed before he replied.<br>"Thank you Legolas. " He may have said more but he was cut off by a grunt from Gimli. The Dwarf woke suddenly pulling himself onto his knees.  
>"Morning Gimli." Legolas called. "How was your sleep?"<br>"Disturbed. Even a well-travelled Dwarf can fall victim to night mares. And you?"  
>Legolas smiled. "I slept the full sleep of the drugged. How did Aragorn fare over the night?"<br>"I slept a deep dreamless sleep."  
>Gimli set about getting breakfast ready. Once they had eaten Aragorn spoke. "How soon do you think you will be able to walk?" he asked Legolas.<br>Legolas thought for a moment. "Within the hour with a stick. However I am uncertain how far I may fare."  
>Aragorn nodded slowly, "Good. In an hour and a half we leave for Fanghorn."<br>Gimli choked on his drink. "Fanghorn! You'd be mad to enter! I've heard tell of trees talking amongst themselves."  
>"We have all herd the stories, Gimli." Said Aragorn sharply. "But it is the path Merry and Pippin took there for it is the path we take." Aragorn fixed Gimli with a stare.<br>The Dwarf sighed, "To Fanghorn we go."

It was dark among the trees. Gimli gripped his axe tightly. Aragorn's hand seldom left his sword handle. Legolas leaned heavily on a stick they had found in the wood Gimli had collected to make a fire. The air around them was filled with whispering. The leaves rustled despite there being no wind. The susurrus reminded Gimli of conversations whispered behind closed doors deep in the hearts of mountains; it left the hairs on the back of his neck on end.  
>"The trees are talking to each other." Legolas said in awe. They walked for a little time when suddenly Legolas yelled.<br>"Frodo! Sam!"  
>Legolas looked around him in shock; he had left the trees and was now standing in the midst of putrid lakes. <em>The Deathly Marshes! <em>He thought. He stared at the scene in front of him with fascinated horror. Frodo and Sam were a little ahead of him. Walking across a zigzagging path of islands. Frodo slipped, his foot sunk deep into the disgusting water. Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him back to safety.  
>"Careful Mr Frodo." He said brushing dust of his shoulder.<br>"Hurry hobbitses. This way." Said a rasping voice ahead of them. A thing stepped out of the mist, its body was grey and its staring eyes blue. _The creature Gollum! What is he doing with Frodo and Sam? I'm hallucinating! That doesn't mean what I see isn't true_. He watched as Gollum lead the group through the mashes. There was a scream from the air. It was the cry of the Nuzgul. Looking up Legolas saw the giant winged monster flying toward them. Astride its back was a rider dressed in black.  
>"A Ringwriath…" Legolas muttered aloud.<br>"This way Hobbitses! This way! Hide!" Gollum grabbed Frodo's arm and pulled him under a slime covered shrub leaving Sam to jump in after them.  
>The Ringwriath lead the Nuzgul in low sweeps, flying over the mashes several times before flying away, soon it was a dot on the horizon.<p>

Aragorn and Gimli spun around when Legolas exclaimed.  
>"Where?" asked Gimli.<br>Legolas was staring dead ahead his eyes slightly out of focus.  
>"Legolas?" Gimli asked. Legolas didn't respond. He just kept staring at something only he could see.<br>"A Ringwriath…" he muttered suddenly.  
>Aragorn and Gimli traded looks.<br>"Blood lose?" Gimli suggested after a pause.  
>But Aragorn shook his head. "I was afraid of this…"<br>"Of what?"  
>"The antidote has certain… Hallucinogenic properties…" <br>The whispering grew in both volume and speed. A blinding light erupted to their left outlining a tall figure. Saruman! Aragorn drew his sword and Gimli readied his axe.  
>Legolas was back in the forest. Both Aragorn and Gimli had drawn their weapons.<br>_Mithrandir!_ Thought Legolas, he didn't know how he knew but he suddenly totally believed that the man appearing before them was Gandalf.  
>He didn't say anything in time to stop Aragorn throwing a knife at the emerging wizard. However with a wave of a glowing hand the knife was thrown of course where it fell to dust in the air. Gimli threw his axe with all his might. With another gesture it was sent away, deeply imbedded in a nearby tree. Aragorn's sword glowed bright red and Aragorn dropped it with a yell. At last the man stepped out of the light and the tall figure of Gandalf stood before them. Legolas smiled.<br>"You are looking for two hobbits," Gandalf began, "Would it comfort you two know that they ran into something that they did not expect?"  
>Legolas was back on the mashes. Frodo, Sam and Gollum were moving quickly now. The edge of the Marsh was in sight. Looming through the mist was the menacing shape of Barad-dur. Legolas hurried to catch up with them. He was back in the forest. No he was in the Mashes.<br>"Hurry hobbitses!" Gollum called. Suddenly they cleared the Mash. Walking now on the hard rocks that surrounded Mordor. Gollum lead the Hobbits up a collapsed pile of boulders. Legolas followed them. Atop the cluster he could see all the way to mount Doom. The Incredible eye of Sauron turned slowly in its home at the summit of its tower, seeing all in Middle Earth. Bellow them an army of Orcs readied for battle.  
>Sam and Gollum were arguing.<br>"There is another way!" Gollum screeched. "A secret way!"  
>"You never mentioned this before!" Sam retorted. "He's up to something Mr Frodo."<br>Frodo wasn't so quick to draw conclusions. "You mean there's another way into Mordor?"  
>"Yes Master. There's a stairs and then a… tunnels… It's a secrets ways to Mordor. Sméagol no lie Sméagol good to hobbitses." Legolas blinked.<br>He was back with Gandalf, Gimli and Aragorn.  
>"I've been hallucinating." Said Legolas slowly.<br>Aragorn nodded. "I'm afraid the antidote is responsible, I have no knowledge of how to remedy it."  
>Legolas hesitated.<br>"What did you see?" Asked Gimli.  
>"Frodo and Sam… They were nearing Mordor. Gollum accompanied them; in fact he seemed to be guiding them."<br>Gimli raised an eyebrow. "Gollum? It must be a fiction!"  
>Legolas shook his head. "No, I don't think it was." He gasped his eyes lost focus.<br>"Legolas?" Aragorn asked before turning to Gandalf. "Gandalf?" he asked. "Do you think his right do you think what he sees is true?"  
>"It may well be. Legolas is, after all, an Elf." Gandalf surveyed Legolas for a moment before continuing. "However he will be of little help to anyone if he cannot stay in one mind for any time." Gandalf raised his staff and, muttering under his breath pointed it at Legolas. Legolas blinked.<br>"I am unable to heal you wounded shoulder but this should hold you here." Said Gandalf.  
>"Should?" Gimli questioned.<br>"Now!" said Gandalf as though he hadn't heard him. "We must ride to Rohan!"


End file.
